South Korea posted a merchandise trade deficit of $5.30 billion in February, the Customs Office reported on Wednesday.
That beat expectations for a shortfall of $6.06 billion following the $12.65 billion deficit in January.
Exports were down 7.5 percent on year, exceeding expectations for a drop of 8.7 percent after tumbling 16.6 percent in the previous month.
Imports rose an annual 3.6 percent versus expectations for a gain of 4.0 percent after slipping 2.8 percent a month earlier.
